Nevada football alum Malik Reed boosting draft stock NFLPA Bowl

Malik Reed has apparently been a popular figure at this week's NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

The Wolf Pack football alum is on the American Team, led by former Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, and has been on the fast risers in the pre-game workouts, per reports coming out of Pasadena, Calif., where the game will be held.

The Colts are among the teams interested, notes NFL.com's Chase Goodbread, who said Reed has met with half of the teams in the league.

Or perhaps Reed has met with almost all of the teams in the NFL, per reporter Josh Edwards, who said Reed met with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets twice each.

Reed is a three-time All-Mountain West honoree, including first-team honors each of the last two seasons. The interesting thing about those accolades is Reed earned first-team all-defensive end in 2017 and first-team all-linebacker in 2018. He changed positions coming into this season, in part to bolster his draft stock, and it worked out well both for him and the team, which made vast improvements defensively in 2018.

During his four-year playing career at Nevada, Reed had 203 tackles, including 38.5 for loss, and 22 sacks. He forced 11 fumbles and recovered two, including one returned for a touchdown. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound Reed projects as a linebacker at the next level, but his pass-rushing skills are his strongest suit, as the highlight package below shows.

Reed is viewed as a late-round/undrafted prospect, although he can boost that standing in the college All-Star games and NFL Combine, if he does indeed get an invitation (those have not gone out yet). With a good performance this week (the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is Saturday at the Rose Bowl), Reed could get an invite to the East-West Shrine Game or Senior Bowl, the two most high-profile pre-draft showcases.

"Reed started his career off as a defensive end, but made the transition to a linebacker in his final season. Reed’s game is predicated solely on his pass rush ability. He’s got good explosion off the ball and has the flexibility to bend the arc. He uses his speed to set up his other rush moves and uses his quickness to disrupt against the run. His limber, flexible frame allows him to get skinny and slip around blocks in pursuit. There are questions about his size and position projection, but his relentless and high motor should have him land on an NFL roster."